TGIF\! Apple paperwork, a busy turtle, and fewer gremlins 🐢🍎

CalvinEllis.dev • September 12–18, 2026

TGIF, everybody! 🎉

I blinked, did “one little thing,” and somehow it’s Friday again. I’m beginning to think the weeks are sneaking out the back door while I’m looking at my screen. 😂

Quietly Sober got most of my attention this week: getting version 2.0 closer to the App Store, making meetings easier to plan around, and teaching a few stubborn buttons some manners.

🍎 Quietly Sober knocked on Apple’s door

• The iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions were submitted for Apple review! That is a big step for Quietly Sober 2.0. This is a submission milestone—not a public-release announcement. The confetti is ready, but I’m not making Apple’s announcement for them. 🎉
• Tucker has been working on his modeling career. Between meeting slides and App Store screenshots, that little turtle has been putting in some screen time. Apparently “app mascot” now includes presenting, posing, and supervising my arguments with image dimensions. 🐢📸

📅 Less “What’s the meeting about?”

• I built a “What’s Coming Up” meeting card. The idea is simple: pick a meeting date and see the published topic and reading before you arrive. The work also covers special one-off meetings, not just the regular weekly lineup. A little preparation beats showing up with enthusiasm and absolutely no idea which page we’re on. 😄
• Calendar connections are taking shape, too. The new code includes Apple, Google, and Outlook calendar options, plus a choice to receive meeting-update emails. I also worked through a time-zone mix-up—because a meeting should start at the meeting time, not whatever time the app happens to feel like displaying. These changes have automated coverage; live rollout, real-calendar, phone, and email checks are still separate steps.
• Attendance paperwork got a simpler path in the code. Quietly Sober will supply its own verification documents rather than asking members to upload outside forms. One clear route instead of a paperwork scavenger hunt. Real document and device checks remain separate. 📄

📝 Fewer arguments with the app

These are code-and-test wins, not a claim that every fix is already in everyone’s installed app:

• A reflection shouldn’t vanish because a save hit a bump. The Recovery, Meeting, and Prayer Reflection fix keeps the question and your typed reply on screen when saving is unconfirmed, with a clear way to try again. Much better than the app essentially saying, “Well, this is awkward,” and disappearing. ✍️
• Daily Reflection gets more elbow room on a phone. I added the same roomier reply area used by the other guided reflections, while keeping the Daily reading above the conversation. There is still a separate Daily follow-up guidance fix to finish, so I’m not declaring every reflection gremlin evicted yet.
• Opening the app should not count as misbehaving. I fixed a problem where simply loading information could use up the allowance intended for actions such as editing or deleting a reflection. The safeguards stay; ordinary use should stop getting unfairly sent to the “too many requests” corner. 🚦

💛 Support without the extra confusion

• The Seventh Tradition checkout moved forward on the website. The PayPal checkout repair went live, and an unpaid checkout test confirmed that an order could be created. Actual completed payments, wallet behavior, refunds, and settlement still need their own checks. These voluntary group contributions remain separate from Quietly Sober Supporter subscriptions—two different purposes, not one mysterious money bucket.
• I also tackled the subscription-message pileup. Repeated Apple test renewals were triggering too many verification attempts and a parade of discouraging messages. The fix groups those checks and gives a clearer “still being confirmed” message instead of immediately declaring defeat. Automated tests passed; a real on-device purchase check still matters. One attempt should not come with a twelve-part drama series. 🍿

🧪 A satisfying pile of green checkmarks

• One server-side test run finished with 1,550 passing tests, one skip, and zero failures. Eleven lingering test problems were corrected. They came from outdated expectations and test setup—not eleven newly discovered disasters in the app. I’ll gladly take that kind of cleanup! ✅
• The build setup got a backup option. I added a way for Mac builds to use a GitHub-hosted machine when my usual Mac is offline. The script checks passed; actually proving that alternate build path is another step. Even the computer deserves a backup plan for when it decides to have a personality. 💻

📚 Keeping the story straight

• I checked the weekly project notes against the actual work. CEPLS is my project recordkeeper: what changed, what was tested, and what still needs attention. The records still need a final reconciliation pass, but the review caught work missing from this week’s notes. “I’m pretty sure we did that Tuesday” remains an entertaining but terrible filing system. 😂
• This was a Quietly Sober-heavy week. Gabby, Bible Breeze, Minecraft, and Brix did not have new in-window commits in the source search. No imaginary upgrades to pad the newsletter—Tucker simply hogged the spotlight this round. 🐢

❤️ The part that matters most

I’m grateful for another week of building, learning, fixing things, and staying sober. Some days the progress is a big milestone. Other days it’s one less broken button and remembering to appreciate how far things have come.

One day at a time. One step at a time. Occasionally one very stubborn screenshot at a time. 😄🙏

God is good. Have a wonderful weekend, everybody! ❤️

— Calvin

calvinellis.dev